The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-01-06

C1suAlt1ss.
ANorHKR STEAMBOAT HOLOCAUST.

AHOTA8b DIEAAbUAT AOLOCAOS1s
MOBILE, Dec. 30.-NeWs was received
here last night OF the burning Of the
steamer BrAdish Johnson, used Is q
boarding house ct jackson on the BIgbee
river, eleven miles above Mobile on Wed
nes0Ay night. There Il no telegraph line
70 that point. The johnson was lying
with her nose In the bank and 8 gang
plank out. A. O. YEAH, one Of the boss
e., gave the following description Of the
ire: had Just gone 70 bed when
heard the CRY Of fire. got into my
pants and seized my other effects and
rushed out into the cabin. There had
cards ano they saw smoke rising when
came into the cabin. The fire seemed to
be in stateroOm AFT of the pantry on the
port side, and the men who had
been playing cards were standing
at the door looking At the IRE. They
seemed like they were dsEed and didn'E
know what to do. They had shouted hre,
but there they stood and stared. hol-
lowed for Gods sake, what are you
standing there for; wake the men mp and
let rs get out OF he q. There was an old
man, an Albanian, in the room next to
mine. don't know his name. He was
asleep when went TO bed, for heard
him snoring. Whether got him awake
or not / don't know. / hammered and
pounded away with all my might. You
zee the smoke was already filling the
cabin and the men were running around
like mad. hardly know what happened.
eyes and mouth got so full Of smoke that
did not know where I was
going. The negroes were mostly
lying on the lower deck.
They all came running forward about
the time we did. The vessel burned
very fast and was q solid mass OF flames
in minute. When had rescued the
bank turned around and saw the pilot
house fall In with the negroes. They
fed up the bank In . mob and rushed 70
the woods " ere they hoddled like sheep
and could not be persuaded 10 come
down to the boat. They knew that some
of their number were lost In the burning
boat, and they were seemingly supersti-
tious about it. They did NOT want to 90
near the place so the boat became q
mass Of flames and burned for half an
hour and then sank. AZ soon Is got
ashore there was areport that there were
and sent 20 their rescue. They picked up
Mr.. Daley, one Of the Carson men /,
William Neal, an Englishman, in one
Of the skiffs had two negroes right near
him, but they sank out Of sight. William
Bowling, who received slight burns on
the face and hands, found Q white man
lying on q state room door. Dan Hill
house came mp and the two dragged the
man, supposed to be McElrOy, out on
the boiler deck. He was unconscious
from the effect Of smoke. just then the
flames burst out mp the side and down.
They jumped over the railing to ssve
their lives. Hillhouse, however, said he
heard q man grOaning just outside the
cabin, and he went back to res
cue this man. He never came
out again, and he wGs not
seen alive after that, and IL is be-
lieved he was sacrificed In the noble at
tempt to save another mans life. There
is no telling just how many Lost their
lives In the fire. Some say that ten
others are missing, but all that know
are the two negroes, Lewis Adams and
Ben Bush, who were drowned, and two
white men are missing. think two
other white men were burned with the
boat, and there must have been others
for don't think they had chance to be
awakened and then escape, for 1t was all
1 could do with the smArtest kind OF run
ming 10 get out alive.